Imaging precautions for pregnant women

If you need a scan while pregnant, a few simple precautions keep you and your baby safe. Here’s a practical checklist.

1. Tell every clinician

The single most important step: tell your doctor and the radiographer that you are, or might be, pregnant — when booking and again on the day.^[2] This lets the team choose the safest test and adjust the technique.

2. Expect radiation-free tests first

Where they can answer the question, ultrasound and MRI (which use no radiation) are preferred in pregnancy.^[2] Ultrasound is the mainstay for monitoring the baby.

3. If X-ray or CT is needed

Sometimes an X-ray or CT genuinely gives the best answer. When that’s the case, it’s used carefully — only if the benefit outweighs the small risk, with the lowest dose and the beam focused away from the baby where possible. A single X-ray, especially away from the abdomen, is considered low-risk.^[2]

4. Be cautious with contrast

Gadolinium (MRI contrast) is usually avoided in pregnancy. Iodine (CT contrast) isn’t known to pose significant risk to the baby but is considered carefully.^[1] Many scans don’t need contrast at all.

The bottom line

Imaging in pregnancy is about balance — using the safest test that answers the question, and weighing a small risk against the importance of the information. Your doctor and the radiologist make that call together.^[2]

Frequently asked questions

What’s the most important thing to do?

Tell every clinician you could be pregnant. Everything else — choosing the test, adjusting technique, keeping the dose low — follows from that.^[2]

Will I get a lead apron over my belly for an X-ray?

Not necessarily — routine belly/gonad shielding has actually been discontinued because it can obscure anatomy and adds little with modern equipment. Your protection comes mainly from a low, focused dose and choosing the right test.^[2]